Menin–Mixed Lineage Leukemia 1 protein–protein interface (Menin–MLL1 interface)

The Menin–MLL protein–protein interface is a highly specific interaction site where the scaffold protein menin binds to the N-terminal region of MLL1/KMT2A (and its fusion proteins). This interaction is essential for the recruitment of MLL1/MLL2 histone methyltransferase complexes to target genes involved in cell fate determination and proliferation, especially in hematopoietic cells. In malignancies such as acute leukemia, MLL translocations result in persistent oncogenic menin-MLL binding and drive aberrant gene expression. Selective small molecule inhibitors that disrupt this interface have demonstrated potent anticancer effects in preclinical studies, validating it as a therapeutic target of high interest[3][4][5][7]. Due to its central role in gene expression and epigenetic regulation, careful therapeutic targeting is required to minimize safety concerns arising from menin’s physiological functions[2][5][4]. If you require a more granular or standardized molecular identifier (such as UniProt or HUGO symbols), these refer to the menin protein (MEN1) and MLL1/KMT2A protein. The “Menin-MLL protein-protein interface” designates the contact surface and not a single molecule, but is an established *therapeutic protein-protein interaction target* in biomedical research.

Other names

menin-MLL interfacemenin-MLL1 interactionmenin–KMT2A interfacemenin-MLL protein–protein interaction

Disrupt protein-protein interaction between menin and MLL1/KMT2A Block recruitment of oncogenic MLL fusion proteins to chromatin Inhibit gene expression of MLL target genes (e.g., HOXA9, MEIS1) essential for leukemia cell proliferation Induce differentiation or apoptosis in MLL leukemia cells